Lost To The Flames (Tenrose)
by SaveRockAndRose
Summary: After a surprise attack on Sontar, the Doctor worries for the life and safety of the one he loves - Rose Tyler.


|| The Doctor ||

He'd thought he'd lost her.

The thoughts had been racing through his mind, cutting off pieces of his sanity like a knife to skin. Fear and anger were bubbled up in his chest, but it was nothing compared to the vast nothingness in his heart at the thought of Rose being gone. He'd been running, faster than ever before to find her, hoping to still see life in her eyes once he did.

He was so stupid - so incredibly stupid to bring her here. Even in this rare time of peace on Sontar, he should've known it wasn't safe. A war of 70,000 years wasn't going to cease, not even for a few hours. He should've known.

It had taken hours of his hearts beating faster than a cheetah could ever run and his brain having a meltdown before he saw her. All that he'd seen at first was a glimpse of her glowing blond hair as she sat amongst the ruins of the safe house she had been hidden in that was blown to smithereens. Wrapped in a dull brown blanket, he had seen her face next as he sprinted towards her. He remembers now seeing the color drained from her sullen face, her lips pressed together in a straight line. He had approached her carefully, kneeling on the

ground before her and silently thanking Rasillion in his head for her safety.

"Rose..." he'd whispered sadly, holding her wrists softly in his hands and examining her for injuries. All she'd managed to do was open her mouth to speak, but he noticed that no words came out. He knew he had to get her out of here, away from the bloodshed and back to the TARDIS where it was safe.

"Let's go," he'd told her softly, helping her to stand and holding her close to his side as they walked. She didn't speak a single word the entire way there, and neither had he. Guilt flowed heavily through his veins as they entered the ship. He couldn't help but blame himself for everything that had happened. He was an idiot. Not even worth a second glance.

Walking her to her bedroom, he aided her as she sat on her bed quietly. Her clothes were covered in blood - thankfully not much of her own as he'd realized earlier. He hadn't wanted to leave her like that, but then again, he couldn't exactly help her change into something clean. He licked his lips before speaking, staring straight into her dark brown eyes with concern. "I'll go in the hall so you can change, okay?"

She only looked back at him in response, her throat too dry to let any words escape. He understood what she was feeling. He'd been in the heat of battle, soaked in the blood of those he once knew, feeling completely helpless as he'd watched them all die. If there was anything he hadn't wanted her to experience in the entire universe, it was this, and he'd let her see. As he stepped back through the doorway and leaned against the wall, he'd known he had only ever done a few things worse than this in his entire lifetime.

|| Rose ||

It had only taken her a few minutes to go into the bathroom to wash off her face and exchange her ruined clothes for clean pajamas. She'd been horrified at what she saw in the mirror. It was as if all of the light from her eyes was gone and her skin was paler than that of a ghost.

Dragging herself back out of the bathroom, she stepped slowly towards the door, opening it to alert her Doctor that she was ready. Seeing his worried expression back in the ruins had killed her. She hadn't wanted to see that look on his face ever again as she had on occasion during their travels. The way his eyebrows furrowed and lips parted, accompanied by the dead gleam in his brown eyes was enough to knock her down in a second.

"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, and all she could do was lie to keep him sane. Nodding, she let him slip his hand into hers and lead her towards her bed once more. She was exhausted, but she didn't know if it was physical or mental. Laying down as the Doctor directed, she watched him intently as he pulled her comforter up to her shoulders.

She watched as he retreated towards the door, turning out her light. She could only see his silhouette now, basking in the light from the corridor behind him. "Goodnight, Rose."

It had only taken her seconds to fall asleep once he was gone.

|| The Doctor ||

After shutting her bedroom door, it took him nearly a half hour to actually pace away from it. Leaving her alone and scared like that was nearly as bad as him bringing her to that wretched planet in the first place. Her face...he couldn't get past that look of fear.

He forced himself to do something productive while she rested, not wanting her to have to look at him. He walked into the console room and tinkered with a few things after bringing them back into the vortex.

A couple of hours into fixing one of the controls, he heard a scream.

It was Rose, he knew, and he quickly sprang into action as he made his way to her room. He was scared again that she wasn't okay, just as he had been beforehand. Practically slamming the door open, he spots her curled up into a ball on her bed, cheeks covered in tears.

He hesitated before sitting down next to her, not wanting to frighten her any more than she already was. The sheets were soft beneath him, but not as soft as her skin as he wiped her tears away from her eyes. She looked up at him as he wrapped his other arm around her back, pulling her closer to him.

In that instant, nothing was more important than her feeling better, not even his own life. She shook beneath him, her sobs of terror slowly subsiding as she clutched onto him like he was her only lifeline.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, the feeling of sorrow inside him taking over. "Rose...I'm so sorry."

She stayed silent for a while, and his hearts sank in his chest. She must hate him for what he'd done.

But of course, he was wrong.

He'd shut his eyes, filled with worry, so he couldn't see her coming. He was shocked at the feeling of her soft lips on his, the ones he had craved for for so long. Not being able to help himself he pulled her closer into their embrace, his face pressed against hers with a bit more pressure.

She parts her lips for him, and he accepts the invitation, savoring her taste. He'd known it before, but he'd never thought he'd be able to express it again after Satellite Five until now. He loved her. With everything he had, and there was no stopping him from holding her again.

She breaks away from him to breathe, and he does the same. He'd never wanted it to end - just like he hadn't with the Bad Wolf and Cassandra, but this time it had actually been with her, and that only made it worse.

"Doctor," she says softly, moving one of her hands gently into his. "It's okay."

This one is dedicated to my best friend pan_panda . Without her, I never would've discovered the FANTASTIC world of Doctor Who in the first place, and I practically owe my life to her for it.


End file.
